Gabourey Sidibe Talks Vanity Fair Cover Exclusion

February 16, 2010 8:28 AM PST

It wasn’t just a host of media watchers that noticed the lack of diversity on Vanity Fair’s 2010 Young Hollywood cover. Breakout star Gabourey Sidibe noticed it too.

Newcomer Gabourey, an Oscar nominee for her role in “Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire” admitted that although she was happy being a part of the magazine — she’s featured in a shoot with her “Precious” co-star Mo’Nique and director Lee Daniels — her cover exclusion did indeed cross her mind.

“Were you satisfied with the story inside the magazine?” Access Hollywood asked the Best Actress nominee at Monday’s Oscar Luncheon.

“Was I satisfied? Yeah, well… I mean, I come from a world where I’m not on covers and I’m not in magazines at all,” Gabourey said. “And so I was happy to be in the magazine.

“At first I thought, ‘Hmm, should I be there?” she continued, about the cover shoot. “Then I very quickly got over it. I think if I were a part of that shoot I would have felt a little left out anyway.”

Gabourey added that had she been chosen for the cover, which spotlighted a host of stars including Kristen Stewart, Carey Mulligan, Abbie Cornish, Amanda Seyfried and Anna Kendrick, she would have wondered whether she fit in.

“I would have felt a little like… whether or not I should have been there,” she told Shaun. “[It] doesn’t matter, because I wasn’t on it and I’m excited to be mentioned anywhere, and it doesn’t matter to me where I’m not mentioned.”

In fact, Gabourey doesn’t seem to let anything get to her, having decided long ago to be happy with the person she sees in the mirror.

“It was a long transition,” she said. “It was so long ago that I don’t exactly remember how I got there. I’m just grateful that I am there because so many people go through this — beautiful people, gorgeous people — don’t feel it, don’t feel as if they’re gorgeous and I think it’s really sad and I’m glad that I happen to be one of the people who does feel [it].”